When it comes to my wardrobe, I’m a little particular. I like everything to face the same way, hung in garment category and colour groupings. So, I found these pics of Nan Kempner’s wardrobe from an exhibition held at the Met in New York were very pleasing to my OCD-inclined eyes.
Couture jackets
362 sweaters
169 pairs of shoes
Costume jewellery collection
If you ain’t never heard of her before, Nan Kempner was an American socialite who from the time she bought her first Dior outfit in 1958 to her death in 2005, amassed a huge collection of couture.
Wearing Lacroix in 2003
She was a major fan of tailored clothing and had a serious Yves Saint Laurent habit. Compared to Iris Apfel she's more "chic" rather than "eclectic", however judging from the following quotes from the lady herself and her friends, she certainly sounds like she was a lot of fun.
At the Waldorf in New York
"My husband, Tommy, thinks it's hysterical, because he used to think it was an extravagance, and it now turns out that I was an art collector. Can you imagine?" Iris Apfel
“Nan Kempner, to my eyes, always represented this modern, free, independent, and elegant woman. She is probably the woman who best wore my clothes, with whom I shared the longest and greatest complicity.”
—YVES SAINT LAURENT, DESIGNER
“Nan always said that the best part of a party was getting dressed first. Then, once she got there, she was ready to go home. She told me she did a lecture in a fashion school and the students asked what made something haute couture rather than luxury ready-to-wear. She took off her skirt from YSL and threw it in the audience and told them to have a look. She was quite a show-off, basically. She did not mind showing a lot of herself.”
—LOULOU DE LA FALAISE, FRIEND
“Nan always said that the best part of a party was getting dressed first. Then, once she got there, she was ready to go home. She told me she did a lecture in a fashion school and the students asked what made something haute couture rather than luxury ready-to-wear. She took off her skirt from YSL and threw it in the audience and told them to have a look. She was quite a show-off, basically. She did not mind showing a lot of herself.”
—LOULOU DE LA FALAISE, FRIEND
Wearing Valentino in 1986
“She went to the Dominican Republic to spend Christmas vacation. At Kennedy Airport, she fell; she was wearing those huge, big high heels, and she fell. Nevertheless, Nan got into the plane. She arrived in the Dominican Republic, in the area of Punta Cana where we live. They take her to a nearby hospital, do X-rays, and realize she had broken her pelvis. Nevertheless, she decided this was not going to spoil her vacation.
“The doctor told her that it would heal itself if she stayed there very quietly. So my wife, Annette, and I called, and we said, ‘Nan, we want to come visit you.’ And she says, ‘Well, just come anytime.’ We arrived, and she was lying in bed, dressed in the most extraordinary way, with the most beautiful pajamas, with necklaces. I mean, totally dressed up.
“When she got a little bit better, she was supposed to come have dinner with us. Annette called Tommy and said, ‘You know, I understand Nan can't come over for dinner, so don't worry about canceling.’ And Tommy said, ‘She will not come only if she's dead.’ She arrived dressed up, fully made up, which I knew must have taken a tremendous effort, in big high heels. Annette told her, ‘You are going to take those heels off right now.’ But that is what she wore. The outfit didn't call for bare feet; otherwise, she would have been.”
—OSCAR DE LA RENTA, DESIGNER
More information
New York Magazine article with lots more quotes
UK Telegraph obituary
Nan Kempner: American Chic, The Met
Coutorture Fashion Blog photos from the exhibition
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